Just when we were finally getting used to the notion of quad-core processors in our smartphones and tablets, Samsung is dropping a bombshell on the mobile community: an eight-core processor. In this particular case, however, there are two banks of quad-core processing units. The first bank consists of four Cortex-A15 processing units for high performance, while the second bank consists of four Cortex-A7 processing units for lighter workloads in order to save battery life.

The idea of using lower-power cores for mundane tasks sounds similar to what NVIDIA does with its Tegra 3/Tegra 4 processors. The Tegras feature quad-cores for high-performance applications and a fifth "companion" core to handle loads that aren't as demanding.

According to Samsung, going with this "high-low" 8-core arrangement allows it to offer 70 percent greater power efficiency than the previous generation quad-core Exynos.

“The new Exynos 5 Octa introduces a whole new concept in processing architecture…designed for high-end smartphones and tablets,” said Samsung's Dr. Stephen Woo. “When you want multiple applications to perform at their best, you want the best application processor currently available—the Exynos 5 Octa.”